Monday, May 29, 2017

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at The New York Public Library today announced the acquisition of American tenor saxophonist and jazz legend Sonny Rollins's personal archive. The robust collection includes more than 150 linear feet of material that document Rollins's life and career from the 1950s to the present.

This acquisition also marks the Harlem native's "return" to the neighborhood of his youth. Rollins was profoundly influenced and inspired by the sights and sounds of the Harlem Renaissance and its pioneers, including Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan, who shaped modern music and Rollins's creative life.

"Well, I'm home again," Rollins said. "Home, where I absorbed the rich culture which was all around me. Where, on 137th Street, two blocks from the Schomburg, I was born in 1930. This archive reveals my life in music, how someone principally self-taught became taught. How the spiritual light of jazz protected and fed me, as it does to this day."

Spanning a 60-year career and more than 80 albums, the Rollins archive is rich with texture, offering an intimate look into the creativity, curiosity, and organization that led to the artist's creative process and practice. Archive items range from audio reels and cassettes of unheard music and practice sessions, personal photographs from Rollins's travels abroad, sheet music with margin notes, personal writing, practice diaries, and handwritten letters between Rollins and his wife and partner of more than 45 years, Lucille Pearson Rollins.

The archive also offers insight into Rollins's social and professional network of musicians through detailed notes from recorded sessions, letters, and snapshots from touring over the decades.

To be primarily housed within the Schomburg Center's Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division, the Rollins archive joins a robust collection of jazz-related materials across the institution's divisions, including the A Great Day in Harlem Documentary collection, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History project, the Don Redman papers, the Billy Taylor collection, the Ron Carter collection, and the Duke Ellington Society collection.

This acquisition also adds significant weight to the New York Public Library's collection of jazz-related items including the George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian papers, which include letters from Rollins to Avakian and several unreleased live and studio recordings from Rollins's time at RCA; the Ivan Black papers that include promotional and performance photographs of Rollins; along with the Sy Oliver, Phoebe Jacobs, and Benny Goodman collections.

"Rollins had a measure of professional and personal stability that allowed him to collect the artifacts of his life from original manuscripts and compositions to his business records, unlike many of his peers. In this sense, his archive is unique," said Shola Lynch, curator of the Schomburg's Moving Image and Recorded Sound division."He has also been aware of keeping the flame. As Rollins said recently of his peers and mentors: 'They're not here now so I feel like I'm sort of representing all of them, all of the guys. Remember, I'm one of the last guys left, as I'm constantly being told, so I feel a holy obligation sometimes to evoke these people.' As in life, Rollins's archive will undoubtedly evoke them and their musical relationships, and through it, will add granularity to a swath of black history. For the first time, Rollins has opened the doors to studying his music, life, and work as a giant of jazz."

"Famous for his reinventions, Sonny Rollins and his archive reveal the profound nature of jazz, America's classical music. Drafts, notes on composition, extensive correspondence, the entire spirit and scope of the Rollins archive show his sophisticated, sustained, and spiritual creative process up close in a way that may best be called literary," said Kevin Young, noted author and Director of the Schomburg Center. "Having the archive of Sonny Rollins come home here, just blocks from where he was born and grew into one of our finest artists, provides a connection to the geniuses who made Harlem and whose legacies, like those of James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, also are housed at the Schomburg."

Highlights from the Sonny Rollins Archive include:

● Personal papers, diaries, notes, and drawings illuminating Rollins's private thoughts and creative process sporadically through the decades
● Recordings of practice sessions as well as recording takes from as early as the 1960s
● Snapshots and photos from life on the road with his fellow musicians from as early as the 1960s
● Personal correspondence between Rollins and his wife and manager, Lucille Pearson, over the decades that range the gamut from love notes to unfiltered thoughts related to colleagues, bandmates, and business

The Sonny Rollins archive will be processed over the next year at NYPL's Library Services Center in Long Island City, and will be made available for research at the Schomburg Center.
**********About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is generally recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world. For over 90 years the Center has collected, preserved, and provided access to materials documenting black life, and promoted the study and interpretation of the history and culture of peoples of African descent. Educational and Cultural Programs at the Schomburg Center complement its research services and interpret its collections. Seminars, forums, workshops, staged readings, film screenings, performing arts programs, and special events are presented year-round. More information about Schomburg's collections and programs can be found at schomburgcenter.org.

About the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations-including research and branch libraries-throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming, and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

Photo of Sonny Rollins by John Abbott.

Web Sites: sonnyrollins.com, schomburgcenter.org

Read the New York Times piece about the archive acquisition (by Giovanni Russonello)

Legendary Brazilian bass player Sabá - founding member of Jongo Trio (with Cido Bianchi & Toninho Pinheiro) and Bossa Três (with Cesar Camargo Mariano & Toninho Pinheiro) at the office of Radio Gazeta - São Paulo, where he hosted a radio show. Everytime I used to go to São Paulo, working with such artists as Dom Um Romão, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Eumir Deodato and Ithamara Koorax, I took them to be interviewed by Sabá.

Born Sebastião Oliveira da Paz in 1926, he died February 23, 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil. Sabá was also a member of the Dick Farney Trio and played for many years with Wilson Simonal as well as with Elis Regina, Jair Rodrigues, Casé etc.

CONTEMPORARY, RETRO-Inspired SOUL SONGS with Male or Female Vocals are needed by an excellent Film/TV Music Library that has a TON of awesome placements in many high-end Films and TV Shows. They’re searching for soulfully expressive, Mid-to-Up Tempo Songs that could be found on the same playlist as artists/songs like (but not limited to):

Give them well-crafted Songs that have all the retro appeal of the references mentioned above. Your submission should have Motown era rhythms, catchy melodies, captivating lyrics and a great big, infectious chorus. You’d be wise to have a really strong vocal performance that’s full of attitude and soul! Lyrics that don’t have references to specific names, dates, times, brands, and places could make your song more appealing.

Please do NOT copy or rip off the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so please be sure the songs you pitch for this opportunity are NOT already signed with any other Libraries or Catalogs. Any sync fees will be split 50/50 with the Company. You’ll get 100% of the Writer’s share, and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit one to three Songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PDT), on Wednesday, June 21st, 2017. TAXI #S170621RS

Join TAXI Today To Submit www.taxi.com

FUN, FEEL-GOOD TOP 40 INSTRUMENTALS are needed by an A-List Film/TV Music Publishing Company that’s always landing lots of upper crust placements. They’re looking for fresh, Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumentals in the stylistic ballpark of Artists/Songs like (but not limited to), Pharrell, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, etc., etc., etc. Please listen to the following references they gave us to get yourself in the general ballpark of what they’re looking for:

Although the references have vocals, please submit only Instrumentals for this pitch.
Give them well-crafted Instrumentals that have an emotionally up-beat feel, with catchy melodies, rhythmic beats, and a cool sounding ear-candy through-out. Your overall production should be current sounding (not dated, please) and have a slick, polished, Top 40 sound.

All submissions should be at between 3:00 and 5:00 minutes long, give or take. Non-Faded/Buttoned endings with a natural ring out will work best. Do not copy the references in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as general guide for overall feel, texture and tone. Broadcast quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal. You’ll split all upfront sync fees 50/50. The Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share, and you’ll get 100% of the Writer’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright. Since this is an EXCLUSIVE deal, please be sure the material you submit for this pitch is NOT already signed with any other Libraries or Catalogs. Please submit one to three Instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PDT), on Tuesday, June 20th, 2017. TAXI #Y170620FI

Join TAXI Today To Submit

CONTEMPORARY, POSITIVE RAP/HIP-HOP SONGS with Male Vocals are needed by a Music Licensing Company that’s not looking for “typical library music”. They’re looking for music that is either from real artists, or sounds so convincing that you can’t tell that it’s not from a working artist or band. They’re always pitching to competitive, high-end placements, and they want music that doesn’t sound like it came from a typical “library.” Please submit fresh sounding Mid-to-Up-Tempo Songs that could be found on a playlist with acts like (but not limited to):

Please send them well-crafted Rap/Hip Hop Songs that are rhythmically compelling, with plenty of great hooks (rhythmic, melodic, and lyrical), with a great chorus. Your submission should have a current sounding beat, and a vocal performance that has a confident vocal delivery that’s full of swagger.

Your lyric themes can vary, but should be in the general range of the references and other songs in that ballpark. Universal lyrics will usually work best, so please avoid specific names, places, dates, times, brands, and especially profanity. Do NOT copy the referenced acts in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a guide for tempo, tone, and vibe. Also, do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of other artists’ songs, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal. You’ll split all upfront sync fees 50/50. The Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share, and you’ll get 100% of the Writer’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright. Since this is an EXCLUSIVE deal, please be sure the material you submit for this pitch is NOT already signed with any other Libraries or Catalogs. Please submit one to three Instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PDT), on Friday, June 16th, 2017. TAXI #S170616PR

(Arnaldo DeSouteiro during a recording session in 2014)

"People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find..."

Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Short Bio

Music Producer (with over 530 albums to his credit according to the All Music Guide), Voting Member of NARAS-GRAMMY and Jazz Journalists Association (NY), Member of LAJS (Los Angeles Jazz Society), Musical Philosopher, Journalist, Jazz & Brazilian Music Historian, Publicist, Public Relations, Composer (having written successful jazz & pop songs, some dance hits like "O Passarinho" for the Italian TV reality show "La Pupa e Il Secchione", and "Samba da Copa" for the "2006 World Cup" in Germany, plus many other soundtracks for movies, soap operas & TV series in the USA -- PBS, BET, Universal Cable etc --, Europe and Asia), Lyricist (he wrote lyrics to Dave Brubeck's "Broadway Bossa Nova" at the invitation of Brubeck himself, among other songs), Arranger, Percussionist, Keyboardist, Programmer, Educator (conducting clinics and panel sessions worldwide as the first Brazilian member of IAJE-International Association of Jazz Educators during its existence). He has also acted as consultant for several companies and jazz festivals all over the world.

Founder and CEO of JSR (Jazz Station Records), a Division of Jazz Station Marketing & Consulting - LA, Calif. Most recently, founded LaCalifUSA Pictures and JSR Casting in 2007 for movie & TV productions featuring music & fashion.

Produced special compilations for Quincy Jones ("Summer in the City - The Soul Jazz Grooves of Quincy Jones"), Chick Corea ("Electric Chick") and Deodato ("Do It Again - The Fantastic Jazz-Funk of Eumir Deodato"), all released by Verve/Universal. His latest CD for Verve is "Bossa Nova USA," released last May, featuring Dave Brubeck's title track performed by Quincy Jones.

Mr. DeSouteiro has also worked in his native Brazil for TUPI-FM radio station (as musical programmer-DJ as well as hosting his own show, "Jazz Espetacular"), Manchete TV network (anchoring & supervising the "Terça Especial" series for which he interviewed such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim etc), Globo TV network (screenplay, coordination and mix for the TV special "João Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim - O Grande Encontro" in 1992, the last time these 2 geniuses performed together, plus the texts and screenplay for the "Minuto da Bossa" series), and as the jazz columnist for the "Tribuna da Imprensa" (Press Tribune) daily newspaper during 29 years (from 1979 to 2008). Before moving to the USA, he also worked as Brazilian correspondent of "Keyboard" magazine (from 1985 to 1994), as a free-lancer to Billboard, Cuadernos de Jazz, Swing Journal and International Music Magazine, and as entertainment-in-flight programmer for several airline companies like Varig Brazilian Airlines (from 1983 to 1998).

Mr. DeSouteiro also had the honor to be associated with some of the world's greatest photographers like Pete Turner (who did the cover photos for Rodrigo Lima's "Saga" and Jorge Pescara's "Grooves in the Temple," released on his own JSR label and featured on Turner's new book "The Color of Jazz"), Victor Skrebneski (the CD reissue of "Upchurch/Tennyson"), Bruce Weber (Esther Phillips' "For All We Know"), Robert Mappelthorpe ("Brazilian Horizons"), Alen MacWeeney, William Cadge, and Duane Michals (many of the CTI CDs) and so on. He has appeared in several movies and TV series such as the Award Winning documentary movie "Beyond Ipanema," for which he was interviewed alongside Creed Taylor, Lalo Schifrin, Wayne Shorter, Gene Lees and Norman Gimbel.

(PLEASE, DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED MATERIAL; any unsolicited CD or promo packets will be returned. If you wish to submit material, please contact us through comments on this post or through Facebook. Thx!)https://www.facebook.com/arnie.gilberto

People are going to talk about you, especially when they envy you and the life you live. Let them. You affected their lives, they didn't affect yours... you will eventually lose someone you love & love someone you never thought you'd find...

The Song of the Year songwriting contest will award over $80,000 cash and prizes to the top writers in the contest. Submit your best songs at http://www.songoftheyear.com

YOUR SONGS SENT TO RECORD LABELS AND PUBLISHERS

The top 50 songs from the Song of the Year songwriting contest will be sent to major and minor record labels, music publishers, managers, booking agents and more (including Warner Music, EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music). Song of the Year has many music resources who are always excited to review the top songwriters in the contest for further consideration. More information at http://www.songoftheyear.com

"PICK MY PRIZE" PROMOTION

When you enter the songwriting contest you will automatically be eligible for the "Pick My Prize" promotion. Five individuals will be selected to receive any "one" of three promotional packages they choose. More information at http://www.songoftheyear.com

TEN SONGWRITING CATEGORIES

The songwriting contest offers ten categories so that everyone has a category that best fits their songwriting style. The ten categories are:PopCountryLyric OnlyRockChristianInstrumentalFolkAdult ContemporaryDanceHip-Hop

Only the "songwriting" merits of the songs are reviewed and judged in the songwriting contest. Production quality is not taken into consideration. Home recordings are accepted. International entries are accepted. More information at
http://www.songoftheyear.com

This performance is made possible, in part, by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts through a grant from the Western Jazz Presenters Network.KJAZZ 88.1 - official media sponsor.
Check out www.JazzBakery.org
for upcoming June shows!

Fabulous drummer. Saw him live with Dizzy and later with the Pablo All-Stars.
Roker performs in some of my favorite albums by Duke Pearson (How Insensitive with Andy Bey, Bebeto Castilho, Dorio Ferreira, Airto & Flora, the Christmas project Merry Ole Soul, and specially It Could Only Happen With You, on which he performs alongside Hermeto Pascoal and Flora Purim), Donald Byrd (Electric Byrd - with Airto and Hermeto - and Kofi, with Airto and Dom Um Romao), Milt Jackson (Olinga), Herbie Hancock (Speak Like A Child), Astrud Gilberto (Now).

Vocalist/composer Molly Holm, with her all-star jazz trio, makes her Red Poppy debut exploring the multicultural crossroads of improvised music through original compositions, straight-ahead and modal jazz tunes and traditional folk songs. Molly's music, often intertwined with the elements of North Indian raga, experimental vocals, or playful free-form improvisation, also reveals the rhythmic and note-bending influences inherited from the music of the African diaspora.

(born on January 13, 1953 in Evanston, Illinois;
died on May 19, 2017 in Evanston, Illinois)

I was introduced to him in 1986 by Chuck Mangione, when Morris produced Chuck's "Save Tonight For Me" album. He also played keyboards, sang, and co-wrote most of the songs on that project.

At 64, Stewart died last Friday due to complications from surgery and a long battle against cancer. The man behind familiar theme songs to the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Tom Joyner Morning Show, also wrote jingles for Coca Cola, McDonald's and many other companies. B

Stewart grew up in Harvey, Illinois and later attended DePaul University. He soon married his sweetheart, Brenda Mitchell and began to build a budding career working as background vocalists for Ramsey Lewis and later Earth, Wind and Fire.

He also produced for The O'Jays, Howard Hewett and Danniebelle Hall. Stewart was the founder of JoyArtMusic, creating jingles for some of the top creative agencies becoming a one-stop destination for television and radio shows, helping to cultivate multiple careers including his sons’ group, the Rich Kidz.

Monday, May 8, 2017

"Mission Cimbalon" features a cavalcade of top-notch jazz royalty, including Arturo Sandoval, Mike Stern, Dennis Chambers, Tom Kennedy, Teymur Phell, Sanah Kadoura, Taco Gorter, Robin Koerts & Kiba Dachi. It is Preda's life ambition to expose the world to this glorious instrument and to bring into focus its history and cement its place it the jazz canon.

The cimbalom is a concert hammered dulcimer: a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top. It is a musical instrument commonly found in Hungary and throughout the group of Central-Eastern European nations and cultures which composed Austria-Hungary (1867-1918), namely contemporary Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It is also popular in Greece. The cimbalom is (typically) played by striking two beaters against the strings.

The steel treble strings are arranged in groups of 4 and are tuned in unison. The bass strings which are over-spun with copper, are arranged in groups of 3 and are also tuned in unison. The Hornbostel-Sachs musical instrument classification system registers the cimbalom with the number 314.122-4,5. Moreover, the instrument name "cimbalom" also denotes earlier, smaller versions of the cimbalom, and folk cimbaloms, of different tone groupings, string arrangements, and box types.

In English, the cimbalom spelling is the most common, followed by the variants, derived from Austria-Hungary's languages, cimbál, cymbalom, cymbalum, țambal, tsymbaly and tsimbl etc. Santur, Santouri, sandouri and a number of other non-Austro-Hungarian names are sometimes applied to this instrument in regions beyond Austria-Hungary which have their own names for related instruments of the hammer dulcimer family.

Marius Preda, born in 1977 comes from a musical family, where at the age of four, he received his first big toy from his grandmother. It was a Cimbalom! He immediately fell in love with this toy and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! He spent all of his days and nights playing the new instrument.

In 1993, Marius was invited to the Netherlands, and in '95 he began to study the Vibraphone at the Jazz Department of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands, where he graduated with a distinction. With the skills, he accumulated over these years, Marius was able to develop a new way of playing the cimbalom. As a result, he became the first cimbalom player in the history of Jazz.

Respected and lauded by other musicians for his mastery, Arturo Sandoval explains it best, "Marius is a gift from God for our own enjoyment," which Sandoval and Vladimir Cosma both were involved with the production Mission Cimbalon. Cosma explains, "Marius is one of the best musicians that I have worked with during my entire music career."

Produced by Creed Taylor
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Cover Photo: Pete Turner
Album Design: Bob CianoOur Blu-Spec CD of the month is "Keep Your Soul Together" with Freddie at the peak of his 70's powers; his fifth & last "official" CTI album, recorded in October 1973 after the ground-breaking "Red Clay," the wild "Straight Life," the Grammy-winning "First Light" and the sublime "Sky Dive." The record follows strongly in the mood that Freddie set under Creed Taylor's guidance, but with some differences: no strings, no brass section, and, last but not least, Hubbard was finally allowed to use his touring band, which consisted of George Cables (Fender Rhodes), Kent Brinkley (bass), the late Ralph Penland (drums), Juno Lewis (percussion), Aurell Ray (electric guitar) and Junior Cook (tenor sax) on four long, drawn out tracks done with lots of electricity in the rhythms, and a very cosmic approach to the solos, with Ron Carter overdubbing on a couple of tunes. The groove is funky, yet easy, featuring playing that's very open and very soulful. Titles include "Keep Your Soul Together", the hard-bop gem "Spirits Of Trane", "Destiny's Children", and the haunting ballad "Brigitte," dedicated to Freddie's wife and later re-recorded on "The Love Connection" album with a lush Claus Ogerman score.

This is NOT a bootleg, it's an official Kudu release licensed by Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited to be pressed & distributed in UK by www.primedirect.co.uk as a "Record Store Day 2017" very special release.

And this is NOT a jazz session, but a first-class disco-funk effort. These 3 tracks originally appeared on Idris Muhammad's most commercially successful album ever, "Turn This Mutha Out." Produced, written & arranged by the criminally underrated maestro David Matthews for Creed Taylor's Kudu label, a subsidiary of CTI Records, the album features an all-star cast: Michael Brecker, Hiram Bullock, Clifford Carter, Will Lee, Jeremy Steig, Brazilian percussion master Rubens Bassini, Sue Evans, and many more.

One of Brazil's best kept secrets, Maria de Fátima Fattoruso lived in Los Angeles during the second half of the 70s, having worked and recorded with Manolo Badrena, Jon Lucien, Airto Moreira, Milton Nascimento and many others. She married keyboard wiz Hugo Fattoruso (founder of the legendary OPA trio) and traveled with him to Uruguay to record this album in 1981 for the Sondor label. Soon after, both relocated to Brazil and became a fixture of Rio de Janeiro's busy studio scene; Hugo joined bands led by Djavan, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Marcio Montarroyos and Geraldo Azevedo, while Maria kept working as backing vocalist on albums by Milton, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai and Dom Um Romão.

This is the second CD release of "Bahia Com H," but the first one with a paper sleeve Mini-LP gatefold cover. The musical content is magical, including many intriguing original songs by Maria and beautiful renditions of Jards Macalé/Capinam's "Movimento dos Barcos" (maybe the album highlight), Milton Nascimento/Ronaldo Bastos' "Três Pontas" and two songs that had been rediscovered one year earlier by João Gilberto on his "Brasil" album: Dennis Brian's title track "Bahia Com H" (graced by gorgeous synthesized strings in a fabulous arrangement) and Ary Barroso's "O Tabuleiro da Baiana," sung in duet with Hugo (Gilberto had recorded it in duo with Maria Bethania.)

There are also funkyfied versions of Gilberto Gil's "Toda Menina Baiana" and Gil/Caetano Veloso's "São João Xangô Menino," the track chosen by Sondor to be released as a single back in '81, with "No Tabuleiro da Baiana" on Side B. Thirty six years later, it remains a timeless album, and its charm is intact. Sadly, it has never been released in Brazil neither in the USA.

Excerpts from the liner notes by James Fitzpatrick:"Carlos Franzetti is that rare Renaissance Man, partnered in his musical entrepreneurship by his colorful wife, concert pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti. With this release we find Carlos once again bridging that supposed gap between contemporary classics and the jazz and "easy listening" world. It also shows a more reflective Carlos with the title track, "Luminosa," which is seemingly contemplative yet has a strict Bach-like classical structure. "Tango del Eco" by Horacio Salgan, arranged by Carlos, is more playful yet has quirky harmonies that are not expected. In his music you can hear the influence of Shostakovich and de Falla, Dave Grusin and Piazzolla, George Gershwin and Cole Porter... "anything goes." Therefore, a work such as "Concierto del Plata" is both challenging (both for listener and soloist) and yet totally accessible but, most importantly, memorable in this age of forgettable and "throwaway" downloadable music. The three interludes from the ballet, "Dante Porteño" are just a taste of more to come from the ubiquitous and prolific pen (and mind) of Carlos Franzetti... a true original."

Vocalist Sarah Partridge introduced an impressive body of original compositions on her 2015 Origin Records release "I'd Never Thought I'd Be Here," but for her new project, she wanted to celebrate a singer/songwriter outside of her own genre and beyond the Great American Songbook. On "Bright Lights & Promises: Redefining Janis Ian," her 5th album and 2nd for Origin Records, Partridge reimagines 11 well- and lesser-known works from the legendary singer/songwriter's discography, and also co-wrote two with Ian. The new CD was released April 21.

"To pay tribute to a folk artist like Janis was extremely interesting to me," says Partridge. "In her case, her very early songwriting seemed influenced by jazz, and I saw real possibilities for a reimagining of some of that work. We connected with each other last year through the Recording Academy and when I mentioned that I was thinking of doing an album of her songs, she lit up. She said she'd like to be helpful to me, and there it began. I don't think I've ever met a more generous artist."

Ian exploded on the pop music scene in 1967's Summer of Love as a precociously talented singer/songwriter confronting the dark side of American life. She was just 14 when, in 1965, she wrote and recorded "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," her single about a young interracial couple ripped apart by prejudice. Championed by Leonard Bernstein two years later on his CBS-TV special Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution, the single went gold and established Ian as one of the era's most promising young performers. She recorded several critically praised albums for Verve over the next few years but didn't break through again until 1975's chart-topping Between the Lines, featuring the Grammy-winning single "At Seventeen," a song she performed that year on the debut broadcast of Saturday Night Live (and which is included on "Bright Lights & Promises").

As with her previous Origin outing, Partridge is joined on "Bright Lights & Promises" by her stellar working band of pianist Allen Farnham, bassist Bill Moring, and drummer Tim Horner. Trombonist Ben Williams, reed virtuoso Scott Robinson, and guitarist Paul Meyers are also back in the fold. Farnham, who produced the album, arranged 11 of the songs; two were arranged by Horner. Janis Ianherself provides vocals on the wry and briskly swinging opening track "A Quarter Past Heartache," which the women co-wrote.

Raised in Boston and Birmingham, AL, Sarah Partridge grew up listening to her father's albums of Ella Fitzgerald, Dakota Staton, Irene Kral, and Sarah Vaughan. But she was drawn to acting and ended up majoring in theater at Northwestern University. After graduating in 1982, she worked around Chicago, and in 1983 landed her first feature role in Tom Cruise's breakout hit Risky Business.

Relocating to L.A. in 1984, she worked steadily in film and television, carving out a niche doing voice-overs. Out with friends one night at the Improv, she accepted their dare to take a turn at karaoke and delivered a stunning rendition of "Summertime." The impromptu performance caught the ear of a booker, who promptly hired her to sing in a concert with the top tier of L.A. jazz musicians. It was a successful gig that rekindled a long-buried dream.

Partridge spent years honing her technique in L.A. and New York City, where she moved in 1994, and instantly bonded with legendary trumpeter Doc Cheatham, "the first musician I played with in New York." Attending one of his regular Sunday brunch performances at Sweet Basil, Partridge's husband convinced pianist Chuck Folds to let her sit in. Her version of "Every Day I Have the Blues" went over well and Cheatham told her "You can come anytime you want." "After that, I sat in regularly and we did some gigs together," Partridge recalls. "I learned so much from him, just seeing the obsessive dedication he had. He was a real inspiration."

Partridge released her widely-acclaimed debut "I'll Be Easy to Find" in 1998 ("She's a pleasure to hear in any emotional guise, whether one of regret or exaltation" -- Billboard) featuring jazz greats Frank Wess, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Gene Bertoncini. She has grown exponentially with each successive recording: "Blame It on My Youth," 2004; "You Are There, Songs for My Father," 2006; Perspective, 2010; and "I Never Thought I'd Be Here," 2015.

With her rich, fine-textured sound and rhythmically acute phrasing, Sarah Partridge puts an irrepressible jazz stamp on everything she sings, and "Bright Lights & Promises: Redefining Janis Ian" presents a portrait of an artist fully in command of her craft.

Partridge and her band will be performing two CD release shows in May: 5/11 at New York's Bitter End (where Janis Ian performed nearly 50 years ago), and 5/20 at Trumpets in Montclair, NJ.